Archive for " June, 2011 "

Neuropathic pain is nerve pains which occur in varying degrees and in different areas of the body caused by several factors. It is one of the most common discomforts of man and has been a favorite research topic of medical practitioners and scientists.

What is Neuropathic Pain?

Neuropathic pain is the painful consequence when the somatosensory system of the body suffers from a lesion.

Types of Neuropathic Pain

There are different types of it according to its characteristics.

Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

This kind of neuropathic pain is experienced due to a peripheral nerve lesion which leads to overly sensitive development of spontaneous pathological activity characterized by heightened sensitivity to chemical, mechanical and thermal stimuli as well as abnormal excitability. Those who suffer from this condition experiences autonomic changes, weakness and sensory changes however the location of the abnormal neuron responses varies on where the lesion occurred. They are extremely sensitive to touch that is marked by a prickly or tingling sensation that begins at the toes or ball of the fit leading to numbness and inability to feel temperature change.

Approximately10,000 Americans have Huntington Disease. It has several devastating effects on the life of the patient and their children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the gene which results to this condition.

Huntington Disease Historical Definition

Huntington Disease is a rare degenerative brain disorder which there is no cure yet discovered. It was named after Dr. George Huntington who first described this type of hereditary abnormality. It mostly affects the muscle coordination of patients and which may also lead to dementia or cognitive decline due to the early deterioration of particular neurons of the brain.

Cancer, one of the most deadly diseases known to human kind, is actually a disease of cells, the basic unit of a living body. Cancer is caused due to abnormally high rate of cell division in a particular organ or tissue system of the human body. In a normally functioning organ or tissue, cell division is a controlled process. The process of mitosis (cell division) occurs in the organ only when new cells are needed. Cell division is a process of check and balance, which helps maintain the proper structure and function of the organ or tissue. However, disruption of this check and balance process, can result in uncontrolled cell division, that eventually forms a mass of proliferated cells, known as tumour.

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is due to uncontrolled cell division in the pulmonary cells. As mentioned earlier, uncontrolled cell division results in the formation of tumours. Tumours can be benign or malignant in nature. Benign tumours are non-cancerous and can be easily removed by operation.